"Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past..."
The shop was empty, well not really empty. There wasn't a soul in the building, except the old man behind the counter. His huge gray eyebrows the first thing Ruben noticed upon walking in. He wondered if the man could see through the bushels on his face.
There was his eyebrows and the ever present look of anxiety whenever Ruben came to this shop. The old man's eyes watched Ruben with caution, worried of being robbed by some local delinquent. Didn't help Ruben did walk in with weapons strapped to his belt.
Ruben let his thoughts return to more pressing matters, and moved his way towards the CDs. With Dad worried about the property damage caused by Yin, his mother making sure that neither of them were hurt, it was nice to get out of the house.
Ruben crouched besides the CDs, his finger running over the edges of the cases. Ruben looked over several disks, each artist making it that much more difficult to find one to buy. Truth's new album EE reached the top of the charts, as did all of his albums, and Ruben always enjoyed the other worldly rock that Truth put out.
He turned up the volume on his earphones, drowning in the sound of the rocking guitar and brutal drums sending him out of his body and his mind. He felt as though he was on air, gliding over the lights and grumbles of the city bellow. He could feel each strum of the string echo through his body, his hair standing on edge and goosebumps running up his arms. He shivered as the drums added bolts to follow.
He felt his eyes shut for a brief moment, his smile growing ever so slightly. He, however, couldn't hear the sound of the approaching feet, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Ruben felt his smile immediately disappear, his pleasant mood going with it. The old man finally got the nerve to kick him out.
He then felt the sharp pull of his shoulder, much stronger than that old man ever could be, forcing him to turn around. Ruben's hood fell off slowly, the annoyance in Ruben's face now present.
He came face to face with a man with a fine black fedora, well made suede suit, with a dark sword in hand. The man was pointing to his ears own ears. Ruben complied, pulling his headset off and resting them on the back of his neck.
"Yeah?" Ruben asked, wondering what was the point of getting his attention. He wasn't bothering nobody. He glanced over at the old man, wondering if he was responsible for this. The man in the fedora had an angered look to him, his teeth barred and, from Ruben could make out, furrowed brows under his dark shades.
"I said, hands in the air!" The man stated, letting out a huff. Ruben raised a brow, before his mind made the connection. Weapon drawn, getting his attention, 'hands in the air.' Ruben took a step forward, staring the man in the eyes with a smirk gracing his lips.
"You are...trying to rob me? Is that it?" Ruben asked, taunting the man with his inquiry. He smiled wide, his tongue running over his right sharp canine tooth. He felt the point of his fang, staring into the man's glasses.
"Yes!" The man shouted. Ruben looked over the man, sizing him up. Ruben moved his head softly, before rotating it shoulder to shoulder. With a single thought, he nodded softly to himself.
"Ooooh." Ruben said, a small chuckle erupting. His smile then disappeared instantly, as he stared intently into the man's eyes.
"Make me." His right hand coiling into a fist, the man's hand tightening around his own weapon.
With a strong right hook, he sent the man flying across the store floor. The man could barely make out the cereal boxes, his mind blurring and his jaw possibly broken. The man landed beside the register, groaning softly in pain.
Ruben's eyes shot over to the register, seeing another well dressed man leaning over the counter, cigar in the corner of his mouth and a cane in hand. His bright orange hair, dark wood green eyes, the black eyeliner under his eyes.
The black bowler cap with the red strap ringing around it, white suit as clean as the man's pearl white teeth. His gray scarf tied around his neck. The man blew out a huff of smoke, looking over to another man in a similar black suit.
He motioned his head towards Ruben. The man nodded, unholstering his weapon. Pulling back the slide of his pistol, a round in the chamber and setting his crosshairs on Ruben. Ruben smirked, narrowing his eyes.
Not even a moment later, the man found a boot in his chest. Ruben sent the man through the front window of the shop, jumping out to join him. Glass sent scattered over the street, the man's arms around his hurting stomach.
Ruben placed his boot against the man's face, his hand reaching slowly behind him for his weapon. With a firm grip, he pulled out his weapon.
He flipped the weapon in his hand, the weapon unfolding and transforming into the large scythe. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the man with the cigar wave his hand, sending several more men at Ruben.
Ruben spun the weapon, his fingers cracking over the lever and loading a shell into the chamber. He slammed the scythe head against the concrete, his weapon's blade easily cutting into the ground.
He stared at the man in the bowler cap, his sights on the front door. He reached for his music player, shutting off the music that continued to play. Ruben counted off three men that exited the store, one with a pistol and the other two had swords. He couldn't help but smirk.
They underestimated him.
Ruben dug his weapon out of the ground without hesitation, before jumping up and firing a round directly into one of the men's chest. The man fell back, the barrage of beads blasting him through the broken window.
Ruben flew back due to the recoil, rolling over his shoulders back onto his feet. With another flick of the wrist, he flipped his weapon's, another shell in chamber, the barrel pointed behind him and his eyes on the man with pistol in hand.
He shot once again, propelling himself towards the man. Ruben saw the look of pure fear, making him gleefully laugh. He landed in front of the man, jabbing the end of the scythe into the man's gut. In a single fluid motion, he flipped back, the scythe's base slamming into the man's side and tossing him into the air.
Ruben turned around, throwing the scythe at the other remaining swordsman. The scythe began spinning the man, catching the man with the base of the weapon and stabbing into the wall behind him.
The man felt his legs go numb, the scythe pinning him to the wall by the waist. His fist began pounding on the weapon, his gasps for air being tuned out by the bowler cap man's words.
"You were worth every cent," The bowler cap man said, flicking off the ash of his cigar onto the face of the downed man beside him. "Truly you were. Now, Red," He turned to Ruben, smirking with a sense of superiority. He gestured with his cigar, his eye squinting slightly.
"This is when our little game ends." Ruben reached behind his back, throwing up his second scythe into the air. The weapon uncollapsed into scythe form, being caught in Ruben's hand. Ruben gripped his weapon with both hands, staring into the man's eyes.
The bowler cap man saw his reflection in the weapon's clean blade, running his hand through his bangs.
"Full of toys, I see." The man commented, before lifting his cane and pointing it towards Ruben. The bottom of the cane flew up, making a pair of red crosshairs. Ruben raised a brow, wondering what exactly the man was using.
The man then shot a missile towards Ruben, who rolled out of the way as soon as he saw the man pull the trigger. Ruben landed on his knees, only to have another missile shot at him. He quickly loaded a round into the chamber and fire, flinging himself out of the way of the missile.
He landed back onto his feet, slamming the head of his scythe to stop from sliding too far away. He looked around, the area was covered in a dense dirt cloud. Ruben coughed a bit, the dirt kicked up from the explosion getting into his system.
He looked around, not seeing the man's silhouette in the cloud. Ruben spun in a circle, not even seeing him on the street. He looked up as the dust began to clear, he looked all around for him. Then he saw it, he saw him climbing a ladder onto a nearby building.
Ruben walked over to the man pinned to the wall, getting his weapon back. He slammed his elbow against the man's forehead, crushed the man's head between the brick wall and his elbow, knocking him unconscious.
He pulled his other scythe out of the wall, flicking his wrists and loading both of his weapons. As he placed the barrels behind him, he heard the whimper and cries of the old man. He looked over at the store, seeing the old man standing outside.
His hand were pressed against his temples, his mouth ajar and a visible vain pulsing in his temple. He turned to Ruben, his eyes shooting to the broken front window.
"I'm going after him." Ruben said, walking towards the ladder. The man waved his hands at Ruben carelessly, about to pull out his own hair for how much it will cost to fix this mess.
Ruben jumped and shot his weapons, landing atop of the building. He looked up ahead, seeing the bowler cap man. The man was standing besides the edge of the building, shaking his head at Ruben. Ruben collapsed his weapons into their gun form, aiming both barrels at the man.
As Ruben opened his mouth to speak, he heard the sound of an aircraft. The familiar sound of propellers. A massive gunship flew down towards the building they stood on, obviously picking up the bowler cap man.
Ruben shot at the side of the aircraft, his beads ricochetting off with no avail. He flicked his wrists to shoot and fired again. He heard no shots. He felt no recoil. All he heard was the all to familiar dead click. He reached for his bag, knowing he would need to reload. He opened his bag, only to find he had none left.
"End of the line Red!" Bowler cap man shouted, before tossing a single piece of Red dust at Ruben. Ruben's eyes shot open, the man's weapon already primed and fired at the very explosive dust.
With the shot closing in and no way to get out of the way, Ruben shut his eyes while holding up his weapons to form a sort of shield. The shot made contact and a deafening explosion was heard.
Moments later, he could make out the man's cackle over the faint buzzing. Ruben barely opened his eyes, seeing the locks of blonde hair made into a proper bun, a short black cape, and a purple rune that seemed to have shielded he and whoever from the explosion.
Ruben stood there in a daze, his heart racing and a bead of sweat running down his temple. Nonchalantly, the woman pushed up her glasses, before sending a barrage of purple essence towards the gunship.
The pieces exploded on impact, rocking the gunship back. The bowler cap man ran into the cockpit, as Ruben stood there hopelessly. He saw the woman cast a spell over the gunship, a dense black cloud forming overhead.
He narrowed his eyes, not allowing himself to be dead weight in this bout. He tightened his hands, spinning his weapons back into their scythe forms.
From the darkness of the ship he could make out a pair of bright glowing golden eyes. He stabbed one of his weapons into the ground, before pulling his arms back and throwing one of his scythes towards the dark figure, a devilish smile forming.
Before the scythe could even make contact, the figure raised her hand. The tip of the blade was a mere inch away from the palm of her hand. Without a beat, the figure flicked her wrist.
The scythe was sent back at breakneck speeds, the base of the weapon pinning Ruben to the ground and narrowly missing his throat. Ruben tried to move his shoulder, the weapon's hold making it impossible to move.
He groaned, looking up at the gunship with a burning fury. He wanted it to crash and burn. Just so he could watch the bowler cap man burn in it. To melt into the bile that he is. He saw the figure wave her arm, placing these red runes all across on the ground. The runes began to spin at great speeds, and then started flashing.
The blonde haired woman turned to Ruben, flicking her wand up and jumping away. Ruben was flung aside, his weapon pulled with him as a series of explosions were detonated. Ruben landed on his back and roared, grabbing his weapon and prepared to throw it again.
As he swung his arms back to make the throw, he saw the gunship taking off, leaving him and the woman on the roof. He turned to the lady, his chest heaving.
"Nice moves, Miss..." He stopped dead in his spot, the lovely face of Glynda Goodwitch. He cursed under his breath, his heart stopping and his weapon dropping onto the floor. The look on her face was all but pleased.
"I shouldn't have to explain how serious this is. You put others and yourself at great risk." Glynda complained, pacing across the table from Ruben. Ruben was leaning back in his seat, his arms crossed and his eyes focused averting their gaze from Glynda.
It's only been a few hours since he met the Huntress, and he already knew she was going to be the, 'You shouldn't do this', 'You shouldn't do that' kind of person. She held her scroll in her hand, her puffy white sleeves keeping Ruben from peering over to see what she was writing.
There he was, sitting in a dark room, being talked down to by one of the most famous Hunters in the world. A Hunter who could probably turn him into jelly with a mere thought. He opened his mouth in protest.
"It was a simple mis-"
"An attack!" She said without as much as a warning, holding her scroll against her chest. She shook her head, focusing on Ruben. "And you, a boy, decide to fight not only dangerously armed men, but a piloted gunship."
Ruben remained silent, letting out a huff. She stopped for a moment, her eyes losing their fire and gaining a sort of begrudging respect. "Such behavior...should be congratulated."
He felt his ears perk up to the sound of that. Then the reverse happened, respect gone and the fired returned. "Then punished." She smacked her whip against the table, Ruben's eyes shooting up at her. She was impressed, he didn't so much as flinch.
He made a noise with his lips, before turning and looking the other way. She rolled her eyes, pushing a lock of blonde hair out of her face before letting out a sigh.
"Either way, someone would like to meet you.' She said, stepping aside. Ruben narrowed his eyes, wondering who would want to meet him.
Chief of Police? The Mayor? Or worse...his mother? He turned his eyes to the door, seeing a well dressed man in a black linen button up shirt and a dark green vest. A mug of coffee in his hand, and a plate of cookies in the other.
"Ruben Thorn..." The man, who Ruben immediately recognized as Professor Ozpin, sat in front of him. Ruben felt butterflies in his stomach, his eyes widening. "You have silver eyes." He noted.
"Um..." Ruben started, feeling his palms actually start sweating and his stoic face begin to take a look of confusion. Partly because of the fact he was terrified of this Hunter before him. Mostly because he was in the presence of Ozpin! His idol!
Ozpin held up a scroll, showing the beat down Ruben laid on those mooks in front of the Dust shop. Ruben felt a tugging at the ends of his lips, fighting back a chuckle in his throat.
"Where did you learn this?" He asked, his face not showing any weakness, nor strength. Just neutrality. It made Ruben uncomfortable.
Ruben readjusted himself in his seat, shivers being sent down his spine and his hair raising on end. Ruben let out a slow breath, getting his nerves under control. He narrowed his eyes, leaning slowly forward. He took a cookie off the plate, taking a bite out of it almost painfully slow.
"My uncle. Qrow." Ruben said, mouthful of cookie. He swallowed the piece in his mouth, before grabbing two more pieces and stuffing them easily into the corners of his mouth. He laid his hands out on the desk, chewing on the mouthful of chocolate and delicious dough slowly. He shut his eyes in bliss, the warm dough melting the chocolate slightly. He patted his hands on the table top, nodding his head. "He taught me how to use that."
"That is rather impressive, I have to say."
"I do what I can." Ruben said, letting out a small chuckle. Bits of cookie flying out of his mouth. Ozpin simply nodded, laying his mug on the desk. He intertwined his fingers, staring into Ruben's eyes.
"Do you know who I am, Mr. Thorn?"
"Do you have to ask?" Ruben said, swallowing his mouthful of cookie and smiling. his voice showing some enthusiasm and a smile growing. "You're Professor Ozpin. One of the greatest Hunters to ever exist! Your also the headmaster at Beacon!" Ozpin smirked, turning to Glynda.
"I seem to have a fan-"
"I wouldn't say fan!" Ruben said, his hands up in defense. "It's more along the lines of someone who...was inspired by you! I mean, you're one of the best and one of the reasons-" Ruben stopped himself, feeling himself getting giddy and happy. He stopped for beat, before going full fangirl. He growled his energy out and began to shake his head. He turned his gaze away from Ozpin, his hand running over his right cheek. "...reasons I want to be a Hunter." He finished in a hush.
"A Hunter you say?" Ozpin asked, raising a brow. His lips began to curl. "You want to become one?"
"Well..." Ruben rotated his hand, his other hand scratching his cheek. "Yeah. I mean, I want to be able to be the guy who does something right. I mean," He let out a huff, leaning back in his seat."All my life I've been a day late and a dollar short."
He looked over at Glynda. "Would have been dead twice over if it wasn't for her. I just...I want to be the guy who can do some good. I mean, life is a challenge. A story. A story that isn't happy, that is full of dark and malevolent creatures." He let out a breath, feeling his eyes beginning to tear up.
"I...I want to be the guy who gives those stories their happy ending, ya know?" Ozpin remained silent, looking over at Glynda. She turned away, as if upset. Her eyes rolled, her hold of her scroll tightening.
"Well, Mr. Thorn," He stood up from his seat. He fixed his buttons and patted out the wrinkles of his suit. "How would you like to attend Beacon?"
"You can't be serious?" Ruben asked, out of a mix of both surprise and disbelief. To join one of the most prestigious schools in the world? Asked by his personal idol and inspiration? Was this truly happening?
"Oh, but I am." Ozpin grabbed his mug off of the table, taking a sip of it before turning to the door. "I'll see you at Orientation in a few days time. Have a safe flight."
"Alright!" Yin shouted, wrapping his arms around Ruben. Effortlessly, Yin hoisted Ruben into the air, spinning in circles the entire time. Ruben felt his body about to burst, the thick forearms and pure strength behind his older brother's hold could break trees effortlessly. Ruben was surprised he could still feel his legs.
His breathing was cut off and his back about to break under the pressure. Not that Yin would notice. "My little bro! With me! at Beacon! This is too good to be true!"
"Let..." Ruben let out a breath, groaning. He went limp, staring into the ceiling as his legs went numb. "...go..."
"Right!" Yin left go, letting Ruben fall to the ground. Ruben hunched over, his hands on his wobbly knees as he steadied his breathing. "I'm sorry! I'm just so excited! Like...nothing bad can happen! You're bumped up two years! Two years! You'll be like...advanced!"
"Look, Yin?" Ruben started, holding out a hand to halt Yin's thoughts. "Seriously, it's not a big deal-"
"My bro!? Not a big deal? That's like telling me that pancakes aren't a big deal! Or Puppies!" Yin emphasized, wiping away a fake tear as he rested the back of his hand against his forehead. "All those adorable puppies!"
"Two years..." Ruben moved slowly over to the glass window of the ship, sighing. He watched the clouds get whizzed by and the afternoon sun shine bright. He could feel his anxiety acting up, his mind racing and heart about to burst from his chest. His hands couldn't stop shaking. "Two years, Yin."
"So? Two years closer to being a Hunter! Your dream! Our dream!" Yin said, sending playful jab into Ruben's shoulder. Ruben was knocked back a step. Even with restraint, Yin could knock him across the room.
"Two years of having to get to your level of combat prowess and intelligence." Ruben smirked, squinting his eyes. "The last part won't be too hard.
"Oh ha ha."
"The robbery was lead by nefarious Roman Torchwick..." The monitor said, showing an all too familiar face. Ruben pushed past Yin, along with several other people and watched the screen with the upmost attention. "Who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police department."
"The maniac stole a freaking gunship." Ruben mumbled, shaking his head. He could still see his smug smile. His infuriating cackle. "Shouldn't be hard to find one flying around."
"...Faunus civil rights program..." The rest of the message was just noise to Ruben, who wondered why Roman would want to rob a single Dust shop. Such high class criminals typically don't hit little stores in Vale. Much less one that had working lights because of Ruben's weekly CD run.
He walked back towards his seat beside the window, watching as they passed through the clouds.
"Listen..." Yin sat beside him, plopping beside Ruben and wrapping an arm around his neck. "You'll do great. If there is anyone I believe should be here more than anyone else," He knocked Ruben's shoulder with his free hand. "It's you, pal." They turned when the monitor turned off, a hologram of Glynda appearing before the passengers of the ship. She fixed her blouse, standing at attention.
"Hello and welcome to Beacon..."
"Who's that?" Yin asked, nudging Ruben's elbow. Ruben rolled his eyes, letting out a groan.
"Her name is Glynda Goodwitch."
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."
"Oh." Yin simply said, shrugging his shoulders.
"You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy."
"More like pure dumb luck." Ruben mumbled, growling lowly. He looked over at Glynda, wondering if she knew that Ozpin would ask him to go to their school after their little roof top brawl. Was she disappointed by his choice? Upset? Angry? Scared? That last one got to Ruben, wondering why Glynda would be scared for him.
It's not like she knew him. He wasn't particularly intelligent. Not obscenely strong. Nor a good tactician or planner. But he could handle himself in a fight. That he could do.
"...You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task. And now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." With that message, Glynda disappeared, leaving the passengers to rush the windows to look at their new school and home.
Ruben kept staring into the floor, rubbing his temples slowly. His mind began to play several different scenarios in his head, his heart thumping his throat. What if nobody liked him? What if he was cast aside for his personality? What if they picked on him? What if they hated him? What if-
"Looky here! You can see Signal! It's sooooo tiny!" Yin said, before chuckling a bit. Ruben nodded, sighing. He pressed his fingers against his forehead, letting out a groan.
He heard the sound of a boy gagging, his head shooting up. He could see the boy running off to the nearest trashcan. The look of green in his cheeks almost making himself sick.
"View's not for everyone!" Yin said, watching him move along. Yin moved next to Ruben once again, smiling. "Just you wait, you'll find out that this is the best thing to ever happen to you! You are one of the be-"
The rest of Yin's lovely speech was cut short with the sound of vomiting and people getting grossed out by it. The looks of disgust on their faces and the annoyed look on Yin's made Ruben smile a bit. He let out a light chuckle, looking towards the floor. He glanced over at Yin, letting a soft smile loose.
"Maybe it won't be too bad."